Water

To ensure safe and cost-effective operations across various industries, it is essential to identify potential pipeline damage early to prevent leaks. This includes monitoring changes in wall thickness to estimate corrosion rates and alerting operators with advanced warning signals about possible corrosion, allowing for rectification before leaks occur. Conventional thickness evaluation processes require manually scanning pipelines using probes, a method that is tedious and challenging, especially in remote locations. Additionally, the high upfront costs (approximately 75%) of traditional non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods are often incurred before each pipeline thickness measurement. These costs can be even higher if the pipelines are in inaccessible or harsh environments. To address these challenges, an innovative guided wave monitoring system has been developed, which can be permanently installed at critical points along the pipeline network. This system continuously monitors pipeline wall thickness and assesses potential corrosion damage. Compared to other NDE techniques, it accurately measures corrosion rates, sends early warning signals when wall thickness falls below a critical threshold, and significantly reduces the costs associated with setting up measurement equipment in difficult-to-access environments.

Side stream valorisation in sectors such as food and beverage manufacturing has gained substantial interest over the years. The waste streams, in particularly the liquid has high amount of nutrients and organics, in which suitable bioprocesses can be deployed to convert them into value-added products. One product of interest is the purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB), a metabolically diverse group of proteobacteria that contains pigments bacteriochlorophyll a and b. Attributed to its unique versatile metabolic pathways, PPB can be used as powerful pollutant removal in different types of wastewater treatments, under stressful conditions. Its light utilization process and hormone secreting properties also made PPB a good bio-fertilizer and bio-stimulant for plant growth.  This proposed PPB cultivation technology in photobioreactor (PBR) system has greater treatment efficiency and higher biomass conversion rate than conventional open pond systems. Biomass generated from this cultivation technology demonstrated its ability to enhance essential nutrients in soil and supply key plant hormones that aid in plant growth. This novel application of PPB can be adopted in the agriculture industry, in the effort to develop more eco-friendly agricultural inputs.  The technology provider is seeking for collaborators to test bed the technology to license the technology.

Boron is an essential micronutrient necessary for the growth and development of plants, animals, and humans, while also playing a critical role in industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, and semiconductors. However, while beneficial in trace amounts, excessive boron levels can be toxic. High concentrations in drinking water pose significant health risks, particularly to reproductive and developmental systems, while boron contamination in industrial water supplies can degrade process efficiency and product quality. Current methods for boron removal, such as reverse osmosis and ion exchange, face significant limitations. Reverse osmosis struggles to remove boron efficiently, especially in seawater desalination, often requiring multiple stages and high energy consumption to achieve acceptable levels. Ion exchange resins pose low loading capacity and require massive harsh chemicals for regeneration.  The proposed boron absorption technology provides a solution that efficiently removes boron from diverse water sources, including seawater and wastewater. It effectively reduces boron levels to meet stringent standards, such as drinking water limits of less than 0.5 mg/L. The technology aligns with sustainability goals, consuming fewer chemicals and exhibiting strong recovery stability. Additionally, the proposed absorbent is flexible, customizable and compatible with various water treatment applications. The technology owner seeks partnerships to integrate this solution into existing water treatment systems or collaborate on industrial-scale demonstration projects to address boron contamination across multiple sectors.

The increasing use of fats and oils in food processing has led to higher concentrations in industrial effluents, overwhelming traditional wastewater treatment systems and clogging sewer pipes, which disrupts business operations. Commonly used methods like pressurized floating separation are limited and often result in incineration, increasing waste management costs. Rising treatment costs, odor control, and waste management remain significant concerns for factory operators. This technology uses an innovative "organic treatment method" with powerful microorganisms that decompose fats and oils directly from wastewater. These microorganisms can rapidly degrade various fats and oils, including plant, animal, and fish oils, as well as trans fatty acids, even at concentrations over 10,000 mg/L, using a microbial symbiotic system. Efficiently degrade various fats and oils, including plant, animal, fish oils, as well as trans fatty acids. By decomposing fats and oils directly, it reduces the need for physical separation and incineration, cutting down on industrial waste management costs. This approach also supports sustainable waste reduction and mitigates the risk of clogged sewer pipes. Technology has demonstrated the stable performance of oil decomposition in wastewater throughout a year in a field test at a food oil factory.  The technology owner seeks collaboration with food, oil, and other plants with oily wastewater and wastewater treatment facility providers looking for organic solutions for end users.

Access to clean and safe drinking water is essential for health, yet millions of people worldwide still lack this necessity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 2 billion people globally use drinking water sources contaminated with feces, leading to severe health consequences. Unsafe water, along with inadequate sanitation and hygiene, is estimated to cause 485,000 diarrheal deaths each year. Water purification technologies face significant challenges, especially in decentralized systems lacking the efficiencies of large-scale operations. They often have a substantial carbon footprint due to energy-intensive processes and reliance on chemicals. Existing portable devices primarily use filtration and have a limited lifetime on-site, with little opportunity for cleaning to restore its performance.  Developed by a research team, this technology effectively addresses the above challenges by employing electrochemical methods that generates strong oxidizing agents to kill micro-organisms present in raw water and potentially degrade organic pollutants that conventional portable reactors cannot remove via filtration. Due to its working mechanism, the device is self-cleaning and does not need regeneration. By harnessing solar energy and activated carbon, this chemical-free purification approach is not only environmentally friendly but also perfectly suited for deployment in remote areas, developing countries, and disaster-stricken zones where traditional water treatment infrastructure is lacking. The technology owner is looking for collaborations with local SMEs to co-develop scaled systems and deploy it through disaster relief organizations, government agencies and non-profit organizations in selected developing countries. 

Urban pipeline systems are vital, large, long-lived, complex, largely inaccessible, and aging, fraught with deficiencies and inefficiencies that result in massive losses of water resources and energy use. Thus, they present an enormous challenge to making cities sustainable, adaptive, and carbon neutral. This pipeline condition assessment technology is pioneered by experts who have leveraged advances in research and engineering science to deliver unique and optimal performances. The technology introduced the use of Time Reversal (TR) for defect detection and condition assessment of pipelines. In fact, TR technology is reliable, cost-effective, and has a long-range capability. It possesses the unique feature of providing high resolution while being non-intrusive and non-disruptive. The TR technology can detect existing leaks, bursts, blockages, malfunctioning devices (e.g., air valve), pipe wall strength condition, and harmful transient. The software provides the following functionality: Active testing: Actively probing the system to control the resolution of localization Passive testing: To detect bursts and harmful transients Real time monitoring: To assesses system dynamics and demand patterns On-demand and automatically generated reports On demand sensor control and sensor expansion Flexible & High sampling rate

Current state-of-the-art lab-scale methods for fabricating superhydrophobic membranes for membrane distillation often involve complex surface modifications or the use of nanomaterials. However, these methods are difficult to scale up. This technology relates to a pure rheological spray-assisted non-solvent induced phase separation (SANIPS) approach to fabricate superhydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes. The resulting membranes have high porosity, superhydrophobicity, high liquid entry pressure, and hierarchical micro/nanostructures. They can also be easily scaled up. The spraying step caused local distortion of the membrane surface, which induced a two-stage phase inversion. This led to the formation of multilevel polymeric crystal structures. The morphological structures and other membrane properties (e.g., mechanical strength and liquid entry pressure) could be tuned by applying spraying materials with different physicochemical properties. This facile fabrication method will pave the way for the large-scale production of superhydrophobic membranes for membrane distillation.

Heavy metal pollution is a significant environmental issue with detrimental health effects even at low concentrations. The bipolar nanoporous membrane features a triple-layer structure, comprising a membrane base layer, a selective layer, and a protective layer. This technology relates to a compact, bipolar nanoporous membrane that effectively removes dissolved heavy metal ions from industrial wastewater and drinking water. This configuration allows the membrane to efficiently adsorb and reject charged pollutants and heavy metal ions while minimizing fouling through its antifouling properties. To implement this technology, a portable water filtration bottle has been specifically designed, fabricated, and evaluated. The filtration bottle incorporates a single-stage bipolar nanoporous membrane module, serving as a reusable filter. The technology demonstrates rejection rates (>95%) for divalent and trivalent heavy metal ions such as Arsenic (As), Copper (Cu2+), Cadmium (Cd2+), Lead (Pb2+), and Chromium (Cr3+) at concentrations ranging from 20 ppm to 100 ppm. The compact and low-pressure nature of this technology makes it highly versatile and suitable for various applications. It offers a convenient and reusable filtration solution for industrial wastewater treatment and the purification of drinking water. By effectively addressing the challenge of heavy metal pollution, this technology contributes to environmental protection and safeguarding human health. Overall, this advanced water filtration solution combines the advantages of a bipolar nanoporous membrane and a portable filtration system. Its exceptional rejection capabilities, energy efficiency, and versatility make it a promising tool in mitigating heavy metal contamination and ensuring access to clean and safe water. The technology provider is looking for interested parties from the water industry to license or acquire this technology.

Conventional soil remediation methods, such as thermal desorption, are costly and require the disposal of the resource, taking up space in landfills. These methods also alter the physical properties of the soil, which can have negative consequences for soil health and plant growth. Bioaugmentation is a promising new technology that offers a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional soil remediation methods. Bioaugmentation involves the addition of chemical-degrading microorganisms to the contaminated site. These microorganisms break down the pollutants into harmless byproducts, allowing the land, soil, and water to be reused. The bioaugmentation technology developed is highly portable and does not require the deployment of large machinery on-site. This makes it a cost-effective and efficient option for soil remediation, especially in remote or difficult-to-access areas. The soil after treatment is compliant with the current United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) and Australian standards (below 1,000 ppm Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH)). The technology has also been proven to be effective in tropical climates. Overall, bioaugmentation is a promising new technology that offers a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional soil remediation methods. It is a cost-effective and efficient option for soil remediation, especially in remote or difficult-to-access areas. The technology has also been proven to be effective in tropical climates. The technology provider is seeking a partner to test the feasibility of our treated soil for farming and land restoration purposes, and to develop a formulation for soil rehabilitation for farming and food production without the use of fertilizers.